Abstract: Methods and apparatus for obtaining and providing status information for network devices.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus for obtaining and providing status information for network devices.

Abstract: Maintenance of community integrity in a gaming network is disclosed. One or more devices interacting with a particular game in the gaming network may be monitored. During the course of monitoring these devices, indicia of the violation of certain rules that define fair game play may be identified. A user and/or device engaged in certain illicit game play activity that resulted in the violation of the rules that define fair game play may subsequently be identified. The identified user and/or device may then be penalized as to maintain the integrity of the gaming community. Various penalties may be implemented, including ejection from the gaming network or prohibitions with regard to future access to the gaming network. Various retributive actions may also be taken against a particular user who has engaged in illicit game play activity with respect to future game session activity.

Abstract: A system and method for actively validating a network device is provided. Nodes in a network game community are prompted to engage in interrogation and response to facilitate the identification of nodes operating with hacked, modified and non-typical game configurations. In one embodiment, a query is presented to a user's machine which triggers a response, and where the response indicates whether certain data at the user is valid and wherein invalid data is suggestive of illegal community behavior. Functions are triggered and data is queried to determine whether the state of game environment is operating according to known metrics or constraints. Various queries to test user integrity include memory peeks, confirmation of location of functions in memory, memory hashing, profiling of threads operating on the user machine, and combinations thereof.

Abstract: A system and method for actively validating a network device is provided. Nodes in a network game community are prompted to engage in interrogation and response to facilitate the identification of nodes operating with hacked, modified and non-typical game configurations. In one embodiment, a query is presented to a user's machine which triggers a response, and where the response indicates whether certain data at the user is valid and wherein invalid data is suggestive of illegal community behavior. Functions are triggered and data is queried to determine whether the state of game environment is operating according to known metrics or constraints. Various queries to test user integrity include memory peeks, confirmation of location of functions in memory, memory hashing, profiling of threads operating on the user machine, and combinations thereof.

Abstract: Various metrics as may be deployed in an active, passive, or hybrid validation architecture are disclosed. A computing device configured to monitor network game activity may identify an inconsistency between user game data and a particular game metric governing a particular aspect of the network gaming environment. Upon identification of an inconsistency between game data and a game metric, which may indicative of illicit game play, a validation process (e.g., active, passive, and/or hybrid) may be implemented to further confirm the existence of illicit game. Alternatively, an action to maintain integrity of the gaming community may be executed without further confirmation whereby a purportedly illicit game device may be ejected from the network.

Abstract: A system and method for actively validating a network device is provided. Nodes in a network game community are prompted to engage in interrogation and response to facilitate the identification of nodes operating with hacked, modified and non-typical game configurations. In one embodiment, a query is presented to a user's machine which triggers a response, and where the response indicates whether certain data at the user is valid and wherein invalid data is suggestive of illegal community behavior. Functions are triggered and data is queried to determine whether the state of game environment is operating according to known metrics or constraints. Various queries to test user integrity include memory peeks, confirmation of location of functions in memory, memory hashing, profiling of threads operating on the user machine, and combinations thereof.